We were lucky to catch up with Dirk Braxton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dirk thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
When it comes to writing, I really studied the people that I look up to, and still do today. I started writing when I was 11 and I would try to imitate a lot of my favorite artist at the time such as Slick Rick, ODB, Bizzy Bone, Lil Wayne, MF DOOM, etc. When it comes to producing, I just learned by playing around in FL studio as a teenager. There really wasn’t many tutorials online when I started, so I just did whatever I thought sounded nice or until I found out what worked. If I was to start over, I would really focus on emphasizing being a student of the craft, really zoning in on how the music makes me feel, and learn how to re create that feeling. I would learn the basics of writing and producing and then just lead with the heart from there. Use my body to channel whatever emotion I am feeling, verses trying to be too technical (However, the technicalities are importance). I embrace the chaos. Today I still study my favorite writers and producer, but I also take a moment to examine how people write in different mediums such as film or novels…really any way emotion can be told through words and sound and applying that to the next piece I create. The limited time that I have stands in the way of me learning more. Having a 9 to 5 can really eat up your time. Before that I was in a tough program in school. If I have all the time I need, Outside of that, I am sometimes in my head too much. Self doubt can really hold you back
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am KawaiiSteez, an Alternative Hip Hop rapper and producer. I started creating music when I was 11, at first I was writing and then I started producing. I started as an emotional outlet to express things that I could not really understand at the time. I continued to always make music and it became something that was always a part of my identity. I also was a part of a music collective in college called SAF, where we would throw shows in the valley and collaborate. We all made music that was different than each other so the output was always something unique.
I create music from a mindset of “how can I break things but still make it fun and accessible”. Starting with my production I pull from a lot of different genres of music such as, but not limited to, Pop, Indie/Alternative Rock, Funk, Soul, Electronic and Psychedelic music. I mix a lot of those together to challenge the listener and myself to hearing something new while still having something based in familiarity such as nostalgia or infectious dance groove. This is usually followed by tongue and cheek lyrics ranging from politics, the world view that I gained from my identities such as being black in America, or clever bars that will make you chuckle. I often tell stories that many folks can relate to over these unique soundscapes. I tackle creating as an art project.
I am really proud that I am continuing to be myself and grow into my most authentic me and sharing that with the world as a musician. There are many challenges I face as a musician who creates music outside of the norm. It is really easy to give up and just do what works. But by sticking to what I want to do and creating what I want to hear, I have developed a fan base that appreciate the care and detail that I put into each track.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to show people that it is ok to make what they have to make. It can be scary creating something that you feel like no one may connect with, but you will be surprised. Creating what you want to create, is so connected with being your authentic self. Someone who resonates with it will be thankful. My music can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone but I especially want to make sure that my music connects with my fellow black folks, especially the ones who resonate with my story. Hopefully it will help them feel seen as many as my favorite artist helped me feel seen.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I just accepted the fact that I will have to push my music myself regardless of how “embarrassing” it feels to post on social media. No one will care about my work more than me, so I just have to do it. Turns out when I did it, those fears of being judged was not true at all. People who care about what you do will find you. And the people who don’t will just ignore it. Anyone who hates on your passion to put yourself out there probably has some sort of fear of doing that themselves so they take it out on you. It’s been rewarding, and finding people on social media made the whole journey feel real and validating. I pushed on TikTok, Instagram, Youtube and Reddit. Doing this also lead me to find a community in my local scene. Just push push push. Whenever I think I am posting too much, someone happens to tell me that they love that I am consistent with posting. Your people will find you. They are waiting for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kawaiisteez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kawaiisteez
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kawaiisteez
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kawaiisteez?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=1&si=b532f484257046558cca75ec794121af&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gMEgrIK0FXgtjkC4whFRQ?si=5gXHkRWVT_axZZrkuTF8ig
Other Links: https://beacons.ai/kawaiisteez
Image Credits
Picture 1: jag_Pics
Picture 2: Ivan Perez
Picture 3: J Kim
Picture 4: Greenhomemadeseventy